Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what specific changes to subcontractor oversight, assurance and audit requirements have been incorporated into the Future Asylum Contract Transformation programme as a result of findings by the Home Affairs Committee, the National Audit Office, and other reviews of the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts.

The Future Asylum Contract Transformation (FACT) programme has been designed taking account of lessons identified through scrutiny of the current asylum accommodation arrangements, including findings from the Home Affairs Committee, the National Audit Office and other reviews.

The future contracts will further strengthen subcontractor oversight through additional Supply Chain mapping and visibility obligations, additional reporting and audit rights which cascade into the supply chain. Clearer prime contractor accountability will be achieved by improved management information, performance reporting, and improvements to flow down of protections into sub-contracts.

The programme will also introduce enhanced assurance and audit arrangements, including further independent compliance and performance assurance, to provide greater oversight of service delivery, value for money and contractual compliance across the supply chain. As procurement activity is ongoing, final contractual requirements remain subject to the commercial process.